How often should I groom my Chow dog?

I can't tell you how many times I have heard that question. I also have been appalled at the wrong answers. The most common wrong answer is - everyday. If you brushed out your Chow thoroughly everyday it would take you several hours - everyday. Remember, to brush out a Chow, you need to brush from the roots out, not just the top fur. The next most common WRONG answer is once a week. If you brushed out a Chow dog either once a day or once a week, then you would break most of the fur/hair and the Chow would look awful. Their fur would look flat and smooth, which is not good.

The true answer is that a Chow should be thoroughly groomed out once every 3-4 weeks. This includes a bath, drying, complete brushing from root of coat to the tip, taking care of the nails and tiding up the coat. The only exception to that is if your Chow suffers from flea allergies and you vet suggest once a week bathing. Of course with the newer spot on flea treatments like K9 Advantix Flea Control or Frontline Plus Flea and Tick there is no need for that once a week bath.

The worse Chow Chow grooming video I have ever seen

The video below is a fairly poor one to use to show the grooming on a Chow Chow. I picked it to point out some major flaws that are shown in the video. First the video shows a line up of tools used to groom the Chow. They show clipper blades. This is a BIG no-no for using on the breed if you plan on doing a show groom. Clipping is against the AKC rules for a Chow Chow. The video points to a book that shows the grooming and clipping areas, again a no-no. I guess they show a book to stay away from. Next they have a very poor quality dog with a minimal Chow coat to demonstrate the grooming. I did not like the remark from the groomer that stated "this is not your typical Chow, this one is a love bug." My guess is that she does not know many Chows.



The end result is a hideous clip job that leaves the Chows body venerable to heat and sunburn. Chows are NEVER clipped that close to the skin. I use to do a "summer" clip to my own Chows years ago and I left at least a 1.5" length of hair all over their bodies.